The present invention relates to avionics. Modern commercial/private aircraft, as well as older aircraft, include a myriad of instrumentation panels associated with electronic devices having controls, displays, and software applications, which are used to present information to pilots and/or copilots during flight. The electronic devices, controls, displays and applications are interfaced together to form avionics equipment within the aircraft. Pilots (where “pilot” includes copilots and any other controller of the aircraft) access one or more interface devices of the avionics equipment prior to and during the flight. Some of the information presented monitors the status of equipment on the aircraft, while other switches and knobs are used to control functions of the aircraft such as throttles (engine speed), switches (lights, radios, etc), levers (landing gear and flaps), and controls for navigation, for example.
Currently, pilots must manually adjust the fuel to air ratio (called mixture) going into the cylinders. As a pilot climbs, the air becomes less dense and therefore the amount of fuel should be reduced as well. The process of adjusting the mixture is commonly called “leaning the engine.” However, to avoid damage to the engine from improper leaning, the pilot must carefully monitor and adjust the mixture at frequent intervals.
Current methods of managing mixture involve monitoring exhaust gas temperature of one or more cylinders, typically showing either a full-range bar graph that displays temperature ranges spanning about 700 degrees F., or an analog temperature display. The large range displayed on the bar graphs makes it difficult to precisely manage the EGT temperature graphically. The analog temperature display can allow for more precise reading of EGT, but does not allow setting (or adjusting) of temperature range reminders, target temperature, change in specification of a reference cylinder, or alerts if the sensed temperature goes out of an adjustable target range. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatuses that provide pilots with more efficient instruments for EGT management during climb.
Other U.S. patents of interest relative to this disclosure include the following, each of which is incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,518 “Computer method and apparatus for aircraft mixture leaning”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,207 “Fuel/air ratio control apparatus for a reciprocating aircraft engine”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,222 “Optimizing the efficiency of an internal combustion engine”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,902 “Method of monitoring and displaying health performance of an aircraft engine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,672 “Cockpit instrument panel systems and methods with redundant flight data display”.